Rasmus Hojlund grabbed his 10th goal of a difficult season on Thursday night as Manchester United reached the Europa League final.
Despite Athletic Club’s best efforts, Manchester United ended up with a dominant 4-1 victory on Thursday night at Old Trafford.
The 7-1 aggregate win flattered United as for the majority of Thursday’s win, it was Athletic Club who were far and away the better side as Ruben Amorim’s side held on defensively to a 3-1 aggregate lead at the time.
Despite this hardship, Amorim changed the game with his substitutions, introducing Amad Diallo and Mason Mount among others, which sparked United into life, and inevitably, the duo were involved in three of the four goals.
Mount had his best performance in a United shirt, showing why the club remains convinced he can be a success with two goals. Meanwhile, Amad was flawless down the right-hand side, beating defenders for fun.
However, for goalscorer Rasmus Hojlund, there is one player particularly deserving of praise as United reach the Europa League final.
Rasmus Hojlund lauds Amad Diallo after brilliant assist
This season has been difficult for Hojlund, he will be the first to admit, but the goal against Athletic was his 10th of the season and second in three games.
The chance was one he could not miss, which is the kind of opportunity his teammates don’t give him enough, as he converted from very close range after a mazy Amad run.
After the game, Hojlund has been praising Amad in an interview with BeIN Sports and admitting how happy he is to have the Ivorian back.
“Lovely. It was very nice to score a scrappy goal. I am very glad Amad played the ball. What a player. Great player to have back in the team. Them two players are extremely talented, so we are very glad to have them both back [Amad and Mount].”
Amad was sublime off the bench, as his SofaScore stats showcase, with an impressive display and an assist in just 27 minutes.
Since returning, Amad has been as good as ever as he looks on the cusp of reaching world-class level with his consistent brilliance for United.
Rasmus Hojlund delighted for Manchester United teammate Mason Mount
Amad was not the only player that Hojlund was heaping praise upon, as he also spoke to TNT Sports about the incredible impact Mount had for United.
“As soon as we got the goal in the second half, we were cruising after that. “I am very pleased for Mason Mount, he is one of my very good friends in this team.
“He is a good lad, always working very hard. He has been getting a lot of stick because he has had a lot of injuries, but he has been positive and trying to get fit all the time.
“He has only had one goal, that was to get back on the pitch. He did what he did today, we knew he had the quality. It was just about the time.”
Like Amad, Mount was sensational from the bench and his two goals changed the tie, making it an easy win in the end for United and lining up a return to Bilbao.
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